Danish studio Tableau has unveiled its collaboration with Italian brand Secolo, which includes an undulating sofa and furniture with blind-drawn flowers, at the Soft Matters installation during Milan design week. More about Butter-like blocks of foam frame Secolo + Tableau collaboration at Milan design week
Industrial design studio Pearson Lloyd and furnituremaker Cozmo have created Hug, a modular sofa conceived to mimic the feeling of a warm embrace, unveiled during London Design Festival. More about Pearson Lloyd designs high-backed Hug sofa to "deliver the right posture"
Launches of foam-free sofas are coming in hot and fast, as furniture makers wake up to the toxic impacts of polyurethane padding. Below are seven recent examples, packed instead with beans, latex and nothing but air. More about Seven foamless sofas filled with unexpected materials
Promotion: Swiss furniture brand Vitra has announced the development of a world-first easily recyclable polyurethane foam, developed in partnership with chemicals company BASF. More about Vitra introduces recyclable polyurethane upholstery foam called V-Foam
Sustainability-driven designers including Richard Hutten and Lilian van Daal have contributed to Rethink Softly – a project by Rianne Koens dedicated to creating seating that doesn't rely on polyurethane foam. More about Rethink Softly seating creates comfort without foam
Fossil fuel-based polyurethane foam has been a firm favourite in furniture manufacturing for over half a century. Jane Englefield investigates the consequences of this dependable but unsustainable material. More about The "knotty problem" of polyurethane foam
Continuing our mid-century modernism series, we take a look at the iconic Egg chair, which was designed by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for the former SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. More about Arne Jacobsen "dared to work with modern materials" for Egg chair
As part of 3 Days of Design, Danish practice Natural Material Studio has created a futuristic fossil-free home interior where all the elements, from the curtains to the sofa, are made from the same bioplastic. More about Natural Material Studio crafts entire home interior from bioplastic
Promotion: XL Extralight showcased its manufacturing process in a Dropcity exhibition designed by Italian architect Andrea Caputo as an "immersive museum itinerary" during Milan design week. More about XL Extralight exhibits sole and foam-making process at Milan design week
A chunky rough-hewn coffee table made from discarded quarry sandstone is among a selection of furniture pieces by designer Carsten in der Elst, currently on display at Stockholm Design Week. More about Carsten in der Elst creates furniture by using industrial byproducts "a bit like Lego"
Pastel-coloured upholstery foam is cut into geometric totems to form a series of floor lights, created by Barcelona designer Max Enrich to contrast with the organic architecture of Antoni Gaudí. More about Max Enrich sculpts lamps from upholstery foam for Gaudí's Casa Batlló
Books, plates and glasses are engulfed by the squishy shelves of Dutch designer Dewi van de Klomp's Soft Cabinets, which are made from foam rubber in a bid to bring more attention to the "overlooked" material. More about Dewi van de Klomp's foam furniture morphs and sags in response to its contents
Stockholm-based designer Julia Olanders has used construction materials that are usually hidden in buildings to create a series of decorative vases for her Betweenness project. More about Julia Olanders makes "toxic" vases from insulation foam and concrete
PRTZN Architecture has used upholstered foam blocks to transform a tiny room in a Hungarian church into a children's playroom. More about Red foam blocks turn cramped church room into a play space for kids
Bubbling forms of silicone foam cover the furniture pieces in Chinese studio Lewu's Borrowing for Birth collection, which was launched at Design Shanghai this month. More about Lewu launches foam-covered furniture collection at Design Shanghai
Blocksfinj, a recently-launched Beirut-based company making foam furniture, showcased squishy blocks that look like solid stone during Beirut Design Week. More about Geometric foam blocks mimic marble and terrazzo at Beirut Design Week
Eighty-five modular foam seats modelled on "common concrete building blocks" will stack to form a beach installation by French furniture brand Smarin during the Cannes Film Festival (+ slideshow). More about Smarin to scatter 85 foam blocks across a beach for Cannes Film Festival
Royal College of Art graduate Sungsin Eo has designed a foam display and seating system for museums to present information to children in an engaging and playful way (+ movie). More about Sungsin Eo designs foam display system for child-friendly exhibitions
Interieur 2012: Belgian designer Carl de Smet of Noumenon has developed high-tech foam furniture that can be squashed to 5% of its original size for easy transportation and then expanded "like popcorn" by heating it up (+ movie + interview). More about Memories of the Future by Carl de Smet
Hong Kong designer Kitmen Keung has created a lounge chair and ottoman by slicing a cube of foam in two. More about Dual Cut by Kitmen Keung for Sixinch